A research on the social policies of municipalities towards women in the context of gender (Bodrum Municipality example)

This thesis study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of women's policies carried out by Bodrum Municipality and their effects on society. A great change and transformation has occurred in the understanding of management under the influence of neoliberal thought, as well as the crises experienced by globalization and capitalism, which are effective worldwide and in Turkey. In this process of change since the 1980s, local governments as well as central governments have played an important role in the implementation of social policies. This situation is called "social municipalism" in the literature. Social municipalism refers to an approach that deals with the social problems of local people and operates to meet their economic, social and cultural demands. In Turkey, this approach began to be seen in some metropolitan municipalities, especially since the 1990s, and with the reforms in the field of local government in the 2000s, it entered the agenda of all municipalities. In this research, the policies produced by the social municipality approach to ensure gender equality, which is one of its duties, were examined specifically for Bodrum Municipality, the municipality's practices within the framework of this approach were discussed, the public's opinions on these practices were investigated, and the Bodrum Municipality's offers in the fields of combating violence against women, education and employment were examined. It has been determined that services play an important role in ensuring gender equality. The social assistance, consultancy services and training programs offered by the municipality contribute to women taking a more active role in economic and social life. This study revealed the effectiveness of Bodrum Municipality's women's policies and reached results that will set an example for other local governments. Keywords: Welfare State, Social Policy, Social Municipalism, Bodrum Municipality, Local Governments, Social Gender Equality